Entries by Verdant Law

Review of the ABA Conference: "Chemicals Regulation: REACHing for TSCA Reform"

TSCA Reform, Green Chemistry: Last week, on Friday, June 11, I attended the ABA conference: “Chemicals Regulation:  REACHing for TSCA Reform.”  In my opinion, the conference was a success.  It was well-attended by a range of stakeholders and the speakers’ topics were generally interesting.  Blake Biles did a fantastic job in his opening remarks setting the […]

TSCA CBI – New Practices Adopted at EPA While Further Changes Are Debated in Congress

TSCA, TSCA Reform:  Confidential Business Information (CBI) continues to be a focal point of the debates over improving implementation of the current version of TSCA, as well as amending the statute.  Here’s a short update on where those debates currently stand. EPA Adopts New Practices under TSCA On May 27, 2009, EPA announced in a Federal Register notice that the Agency will […]

California Non-Profit Formed to Certify the Sustainability of Products

Green Chemisty: On May 20, 2010, Google held a public event at its headquarters in Mountain View, California to announce the launch of the non-profit, the Green Products Innovation Institute (GPII).  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, several top Google executives, and other notables attended the event.  The Institute was formed to help companies comply with California’s Green Chemistry Initiative, as […]

Upcoming ABA-UM Law Conference on TSCA Reform in Baltimore, MD

TSCA Reform: 38th National Spring Conference on the Environment Chemicals Regulation: REACHing For TSCA Reform Date:   June 11, 2010 Enacted in 1976, the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) is the primary means by which the United States regulates commercial chemicals. Although intended to be ambitious in scope, TSCA has proven to be a poor regulatory […]

EPA Expands Public Access to Information on Chemicals

TSCA: On May 17, EPA issued a press release, announcing that it had added more than 6,300 chemicals and 3,800 facilities, regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), to the public database known as Envirofacts.   The Agency said its action further demonstrated Administrator Lisa Jackson’s commitment to increasing public access to information on chemicals.    The Envirofacts […]

ECHA Requests Updated Information on SVHCs to Assess Whether Their Uses Should Be Subject to Authorization

REACh: The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is currently considering whether to recommend that two Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs), which were added to the Candidate List in January 2010, should have their uses subject to the Authorization process.  For these two substances, ECHA is requesting specific information to help the Agency with its decision.  The […]

Bills to Modernize TSCA Could Advance Green Chemistry

TSCA Reform, Green Chemistry:

The recent Senate and House bills to modernize TSCA would advance green chemistry. Although neither bill defines green chemistry, EPA currently uses a definition that would likely inform its future implementation of either proposal, if enacted into law. According to EPA, green chemistry is “the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances. Green chemistry applies across the life cycle of a chemical product, including its design, manufacture, and use.” In other words, green chemistry is chemistry designed to reduce the environmental and human health impacts across a product’s lifecycle. The Agency relies on 12 principles of green chemistry to clarify and implement its definition. These principles were first established by Paul Anastas and John Warner in their book, Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice, Oxford University Press: New York (1998).

14th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference

Green Chemistry: The American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute (ACS GCI) will hold the 14th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference in Washington, D.C. on June 21 – 23, 2010.  Pasted below is a summary of the conference, excerpted from the ACS GCI website.  For more information, follow the link embedded below the summary. “The […]